Oparis

Oparis® is a new generation catalyst for ethylbenzene (EB) and xylenes isomerization. The catalyst combines high activity for effective conversion of ethylbenzene into xylenes with very low by-products make.

Breakthrough performance is achieved in terms of selectivity and activity with superior stability. Commercialized in 2001, OPARIS catalyst has demonstrated several successful regeneration experiences.

When applied in a conventional Xylenes loop, Oparis yields up to 93% Paraxylene out of C8aromatics . This unmatched level of performance is achieved with a lesser amount of catalyst compared to previous generation catalysts.

Oparis is the preferred option whenever Benzene co-production needs to be minimized or eliminated. It is also a valuable option whenever Pyrolysis gasoline C8 aromatics, that are known to contain a lot of EB, are used as additional feed to the complex and Benzene co-production is undesirable. Owing to its high activity and selectivity, Oparis catalyst is easyl used for catalyst remplacement when debottlenecking.

EB isomerization proceeds via a C8 naphthenic intermediate equilibrium that limits the rate of reaction. Accurate management of the C8 naphthenes balance through the reactor is therefore essential for optimizing process performance. With the implementation of a dedicated C8 naphthenes recycle column, the Isomerization section performance is finely optimized owing to an internal recirculation.